A Merry Christmas in Jail

This past Christmas season was very special for me and Knitting Peace. Mainly because I finally had the opportunity to stay in Bolivia for the holidays, which up to know I usually spent in Los Angeles, selling our goods and participating in gift fairs. However this year was different, I spent it here, with my team!

We were all very excited, and although I couldn’t put together the celebration my girls deserved with a tree, Santa, champagne, gifts, etc (let’s not forget the girls are in a jail), I was able to go into the jail during non visiting hours and have a special intimate gathering with my team, where we shared tea, chocolate milk, Christmas Paneton and cookies.  It was the first time in a long time we had the opportunity to gather around a table and chat. 

I started off the gathering by sharing my gratitude with them for all of their hard work, diligence, perseverance and inspiration. I experienced tremendous growth in each one, on a personal and team level this year, and am extremely grateful for all of their effort and support.  Each team member received a Paneton and chocolate milk to share with their children on Christmas day, which they greatly appreciated. I also gifted them pictures I had taken of them throughout the years of working together, which they asked me to write an inscription on. 

Towards the end of our sweet meal, the girls surprised me with a showering of gratitude and beautifully spoken words of excitement for what is to come, love for the work that we do, lessons received, and mountains of joy.  Each woman shared freely what Knitting Peace has meant to them, and all that they had achieved. In that moment I was able to perceive a group of women sitting in their power, and I almost forgot that I was in a jail. I realized that each and every woman sitting around that table was free; in their hearts and in their minds they experienced the freedom to be in peace and outside of the limitations of the walls of that jail. 

~Namaste

Knitting Peace: 2 Year's in the Growing

Knitting Peace is celebrating its 2 year anniversary, and along with 2 years under my belt come many lessons learned, new perceptions, cultivated relationships and the opportunity to question what have I done? How far have I really gotten?

Photo © Diana Mrazikova

During these 2 years there has been many times in which I have questioned if I am the right person for this job or if someone else might have done it better. The reality is that this may have been the case, I am sure other women could have Knitting Peace in many major department stores and magazines by now. However, this project came to me, and I have to trust and be patient with myself as I learn the ropes which is a big part of the journey of a 1^st time entrepreneur. Learning what questions to ask and acting on the information received is another big part of the journey. If it were all up to me, I would happily spend my time at the jail creating new designs with my team of knitters.  That is all I would do, and let the business aspect manage itself… however as many business owners know, being in business for oneself requires a lot more work than a normal 9-5 job, and the wearing and juggling of many hats. A normal day for me can range anywhere from going to the jail to see how my knitters are doing with our products, to having meetings on Skype with prospective clients in Europe, to sewing labels on each finished product; while managing cash flow against projections and day to day expenses.  It’s a big deal, and a lot of work, and thus far, without the monetary compensation or benefits a steady 9-5 job provides.  

At times the challenges that emerge feel like tests, provided for me to question how invested am I really? These opportunities emerge to evaluate and ask if I am the right person for this job. Do I have what it takes to make Knitting Peace all it can be? And essentially how badly do I want this? Moments like these are challenging, however I am grateful for them, because they provide me the opportunity to rise above my physical world reality and guide me to go back to the basics, the beginning; to remember my initial motivation, inspiration and ultimately reconnect with my heart. 

Physical world reality can at times seem stifling, or slow to reflect progress and growth. Staying grounded in ones initial inspiration makes each day, lesson and challenge worth the initial discomfort. And maybe that’s what it’s really all about: being inspired, being the inspiration, and allowing inspiration… being, allowing, flowing and accepting. And how that manifests in physical world reality is up to us to decide.  For me it looks like Knitting Peace, for you it may be your family, the environment, money, singing, or an infinite number of things. Whatever it maybe, it’s important to be clear.  What does your inspiration look like? What inspires you? How do you inspire others? And more specifically, how can you choose to be the inspiration you want to experience in the world?

These are important questions to ask oneself as we seek to align more fully with the calling of our hearts. ~Namaste